why does this eep happening

[butterfly79]

I have done all the homework I can think of, I try so hard to do right with my orchids but I always have an issue.

everytime I repot my orchids in a bark mix I end up with a dead orchid within weeks.

I don't know what I do wrong. I do all the right steps, I water once a week and they go down hill. When I take a look at the issue my roots are always brown and leaves soft? I water once a week and most of the bark is dry, the bottom pieces are pretty dry as well.

Does this make sense? root rot with once a week watering? i always see a little moldy substance on the bark too or what I think is mold. Bluish/green in colour.

What am I doing that is wrong? I am at a loss. Maybe I need a medium of bark, sphag, charcoal mix?

[Cym Ladye]

Butterfly,

A photo would help. but a few questions to ask:
1) What type of orchids are you talking about here?
2) What mix are you using and do you soak it first?
3) Is the mix what is recommended for the particular orchid?
4) Exactly what steps are you taking from start to finish? In other words, are you soaking the plants or adding anything other than water to the plants?

CL

[camille1585]

I agree, more information will definitely help. Your problem could be caused my a ton of different factors.

[butterfly79]

It's for phals, I wouldn't try another type of orchid at this point

I use a bark for orchids, coconut husk and bark. I pre soak the bark before potting.

I removed all bad roots (not many) rinsed the roots and potted in a clear pot about 5.5" pot.

All utensils sterilized.

I soak the plant in my sink, I fertilize weak weekly with tepid tap water. Every 4th week I don't use fertilizer.Before watering I check the media to the bottom.

It's weird that this happens to me because i repotted my father in laws phal. It had never been repotted. A lot of the roots needed removal. I had very few left. i did this all in a rush, the bark wasn't soaked for long either. Low and behold I go to his place 3 weeks later and I can see aerial roots and new roots. His house is cold, the orchid sits on top of the toilet near a window that has a film on it?

I am at a loss. Maybe the pots too big.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Well...

You mentioned the orchids were repotted in a 5.5" clear plastic pot.

How big was the root mass to begin with? Were they large enough to fit into a 5.5" pot without a lot of air space? Or was there a bunch of air space?

If the roots are not fitting snug into the pot, it's most likely too big.

The other thing to remember is, coconut fiber actually has excellent water retention properties. But the thing with coconut fiber is the salts from the water can start accumulating over time. Therefore you'd have to do a thorough rinse of the medium with RO/DI water or distilled water after using it for a long period of time.

Watering once a week may not be enough for Phals in your arid growing area. Canada, from what I understand, can be pretty arid. You might not want to keep the roots dry for very long or they will shrivel up due to dehydration. Watering once a week for your growing environment may be too dry, idk. I think you need to purchase a device that measures the humidity of your growing area so you know what it is. A humidity of around 60% is sufficient.

Other than that...

I think you should try another kind of orchid, other than Phals. In my opinion, Phals are not the best orchids suited for beginners. They're only cleverly marketed as beginner's orchids, when they are very tricky to actually grow.

I think part of the myth of "orchids are hard to grow" come from killing an orchid that isn't suited for beginners (Phalaenopsis).

Try a Laelia instead.

[johnblagg]

HMM His house is cold and yours Is ?

Maybe temp is the issue....

[butterfly79]

My apartment is cool right now due to AC. I run a fan too for circulation. i almost think the pot size is too big, the roots weren't big. It's the only size i can get for clear pots here.

The orchids are not in a window sill but my living rm is wall to wall window so it is bright in here but no direct sun.

It's fustrating not knowing what is wrong. My orchids in sphag are doing good. One is about 3 weeks old and healthy.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

How about I remind you of where some Phals come from in the wild...

They're usually epiphytes from tropical Asian swamp forests, growing under the forest canopy.

What does this mean?

1. High year round humidity. At least 60% or more.

2. Intermediate to warm temperatures. Usually around 60 F to 95 F.

3. Shade to bright shade.

4. The trees they grow on are usually in standing water (imagine a mangrove tree if you will as reference - they don't grow on mangroves necessarily, but I want to drill a point home). The water is consistently wicking up swamp water. Then there're the seasonal rains (monsoons).

Does this help?

Oh...I forgot...

When you're talking about species Phals, some of them are lithophytes.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by butterfly79

My apartment is cool right now due to AC. I run a fan too for circulation. i almost think the pot size is too big, the roots weren't big. It's the only size i can get for clear pots here.

The orchids are not in a window sill but my living rm is wall to wall window so it is bright in here but no direct sun.

It's fustrating not knowing what is wrong. My orchids in sphag are doing good. One is about 3 weeks old and healthy.

No, I disagree.

I'm going to sound rude, but I think this will help jar you into the correct mindset.

You know exactly what is wrong. You kept mentioning it. Don't fool yourself.

A lot of self-help books and psychologists keep mentioning this. Stop fooling yourself, and use the correct language to solve a problem, not get stuck in it permanently!

1. You kept talking about how the root mass is much smaller in comparison to the pot size. There - you solved problem #1!

2. You mentioned the cool conditions. Especially using AC. They shouldn't be put in the way of the air conditioned air coming from an AC vent.

3. There are many online vendors that sell all kinds of clear plastic pots of different sizes. There shouldn't be an excuse not to find one in the correct size!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

BTW, I forgot to mention...

If you're gaging the temperature or humidity by how you feel, your body "lies" to you.

Why?

It's because of how your body adapts. You get used to how things feel so you don't feel uncomfortable. Perceived temperatures and humidity is actually much different than the actual temperatures and humidity.

I recommend a good thermometer that also reads for humidity.